Choosing a law school based on my post-graduation goal... Forum

[AAyala]

Hello Everyone!

I am not a frequent poster here, however I believe that this forum is a) full of bright individuals and b) offers a great place to bounce ideas off of one another.

I am currently gearing up for the June 2012 LSAT by taking Blueprint's online course. I have the goal of going to law school, graduating (duh!), and working as a deputy district attorney in LA or Riverside (where I am located). I have no desire of going into "big law". While I understand how important getting into a T14 school is, I don't want to base my decision soley on that factor (even if I can get into a T14).

I am currently an undergrad at UC Riverside (anthropology major, graduating with a Bachelor of Science) and while I have a 3.5 on my transcript, my LSAC G.P.A. is hovering around a 3.1 (pause for reaction). I have been testing in the mid-160's so far, however I have time to boost that. I am also considered a URM (Latino/Spanish/Native American/ LGBT)--if that helps.

So, now that I have given up all my information, aside from blood type and my SSN, I would like to know which schools I should consider, look into, and possibly shoot for (regardless of my LSAC GPA).

Any [positive] advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you :]

[Bronck]

Come back when you get an actual LSAT score. HTH.

[padawanphil]

Any [positive] advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you :]

Get good grades, do well on the LSAT

[romothesavior]

You should go to a solid regional school at a reasonable price in California or a T14. Your GPA may hurt you, so take easy classes and get it up if you still can. If you score in the 160s as a URM you should have a decent cycle. Come back when you have a real score. Study hard and good luck.

[AAyala]

Any [positive] advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you :]

Get good grades, do well on the LSAT

So regardless of the LSAC G.P.A., do you think the law schools would respond to a strong graduating GPA and upward trend? That's pretty much what I have now. Two quarters of A's and a third quarter of A's on it's way ;]

[AAyala]

You should go to a solid regional school at a reasonable price in California or a T14. Your GPA may hurt you, so take easy classes and get it up if you still can. If you score in the 160s as a URM you should have a decent cycle. Come back when you have a real score. Study hard and good luck.

Thank you! I will certainly come back when I get my LSAT score.

[Bronck]

Any [positive] advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you :]

Get good grades, do well on the LSAT

So regardless of the LSAC G.P.A., do you think the law schools would respond to a strong graduating GPA and upward trend? That's pretty much what I have now. Two quarters of A's and a third quarter of A's on it's way ;]

All that care about is your final LSAC GPA. Upward trend is going to have little to no value.

[padawanphil]

they'll care what they have to report, which is your LSAC GPA. I'd recommend you check out lawschoolnumbers.com. be sure to check the other URM's though because your cycle will be different than non-URM's. In response to your question about an upward trend, maybe it could serve as a tie-breaker, but ultimately the schools care about what they have to report.

[AriGoldButNicer]

OP, lgbt aren't an underrepresented minority for admission purposes. Don't they do better on standardized tests generally? Regarding picking a school off of a goal, I'd imagine that the more specific it is the better your odds of attaining that goal. You need to have a solid step by step plan for it to be more logical than weighing expected cost vs expected salary.

[AAyala]

OP, lgbt aren't an underrepresented minority for admission purposes. Don't they do better on standardized tests generally? Regarding picking a school off of a goal, I'd imagine that the more specific it is the better your odds of attaining that goal. You need to have a solid step by step plan for it to be more logical than weighing expected cost vs expected salary.

A few law schools that I spoke with (Loyola, UCLA, Boalt) said that they consider LGBT a URM...I can't speak for any other law school though. Maybe it's a school by school basis? I certainly hope we do better! haha. Yeah the expected cost vs. expected salary is a big factor. I mean, I figure every law school is three-years (with the exception of Southwestern's two-year program) and each year is about 40,000k.

[t14fanboy]

OP, lgbt aren't an underrepresented minority for admission purposes. Don't they do better on standardized tests generally? Regarding picking a school off of a goal, I'd imagine that the more specific it is the better your odds of attaining that goal. You need to have a solid step by step plan for it to be more logical than weighing expected cost vs expected salary.

A few law schools that I spoke with (Loyola, UCLA, Boalt) said that they consider LGBT a URM...I can't speak for any other law school though. Maybe it's a school by school basis? I certainly hope we do better! haha. Yeah the expected cost vs. expected salary is a big factor. I mean, I figure every law school is three-years (with the exception of Southwestern's two-year program) and each year is about 40,000k.

Wait. So you're neither black, native american, nor hispanic?

[AAyala]

OP, lgbt aren't an underrepresented minority for admission purposes. Don't they do better on standardized tests generally? Regarding picking a school off of a goal, I'd imagine that the more specific it is the better your odds of attaining that goal. You need to have a solid step by step plan for it to be more logical than weighing expected cost vs expected salary.

A few law schools that I spoke with (Loyola, UCLA, Boalt) said that they consider LGBT a URM...I can't speak for any other law school though. Maybe it's a school by school basis? I certainly hope we do better! haha. Yeah the expected cost vs. expected salary is a big factor. I mean, I figure every law school is three-years (with the exception of Southwestern's two-year program) and each year is about 40,000k.

Wait. So you're neither black, native american, nor hispanic?

I am...well not black, but Hispanic and Native American.

[t14fanboy]

K. Just try to get at least mid 160s and you should get something decent.

[AAyala]

K. Just try to get at least mid 160s and you should get something decent.

Thank you :]

[Richie Tenenbaum]

First, get the highest LSAT score possible. That is by far the most important thing you can do for maximizing your chances at pursing the career you want. Second, (though this depends on the LSAT score) target the T14 and California schools. The URM boost will help counteract the low GPA, as long as you can mid to high 160s (though push yourself to get as high as possible--it is a very, very learnable test). Third, make sure you write a strong personal statement and consider writing a diversity statement for most, if not all, schools (some schools don't list diversity statements as options, but will still accept them); for most people, personal statements aren't the biggest priority but for URMs I feel like this part of your application will receive extra attention. Fourth, choose your school based on cost--which will boil down to going to a school that offers a lot of scholarship money or a school with a good LRAP program (like Berkeley, unless there's been cost cutting that has made the program go to shit in the last couple of years).

[Doorkeeper]

1. Do well on the LSAT.
2. Apply to UCLA/USC.
3. Get scholarship from UCLA/USC.
4. ???
5. Profit.

Except in this case "Profit" = struggle your ass off for a chance at getting a DA office straight out of law school.

[senhorquick]

Does this mean that I can put "Other: Gay" as my response to the race/ethnicity question??

[spleenworship]

You should go to a solid regional school at a reasonable price in California or a T14. Your GPA may hurt you, so take easy classes and get it up if you still can. If you score in the 160s as a URM you should have a decent cycle. Come back when you have a real score. Study hard and good luck.

+1

[AAyala]

Does this mean that I can put "Other: Gay" as my response to the race/ethnicity question??

If you think that the terms 'minority', 'race', and 'ethnicity' are synonymous...then yes you can; however, I think the law school would question your ability to distinguish between basic terms.